An attorney representing White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in 2023 is disputing claims that he agreed to allow the FBI to record a phone call with his client without her knowledge, according to a report from Axios.
“If I ever pulled a stunt like that I wouldn’t – and shouldn’t – have a license to practice law,” the unidentified attorney told Axios. “I’m as shocked as Susie.”
The denial comes amid renewed scrutiny over the FBI’s investigative tactics during Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probes into President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election.
Wiles, who managed Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and now serves as White House chief of staff, was reportedly stunned to learn that the FBI subpoenaed her phone records in 2022 and 2023 as part of those investigations. According to Axios, she told associates, “I am in shock.”
Reuters first reported the subpoenas, which were issued during Smith’s investigations into Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election results and his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
According to Fox News, the records obtained through subpoena included toll data — such as phone numbers and the dates and times of calls — but did not include the content of conversations.
The controversy escalated after two FBI officials reportedly claimed that agents recorded a 2023 phone call between Wiles and her attorney. The officials alleged that the attorney was aware the call was being recorded and gave consent, though Wiles herself was not informed.
However, the attorney has “categorically” denied consenting to any recording, Axios reporter Marc Caputo wrote on X. Wiles reportedly believes her lawyer and suspects that Biden-era FBI officials may have misrepresented what occurred.
Separately, Fox News Digital reported that at least 10 FBI employees were fired Wednesday in connection with the matter.
The developments have drawn strong reactions from Trump allies and conservative commentators.
Trump 2024 co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita wrote on X that he knows the attorney and believes him, calling the situation “a violation of basic constitutional rights every American has” and urging accountability.
OutKick founder Clay Travis also weighed in, writing, “So the lawyer Biden’s FBI eavesdropped on during a call with Susie Wiles said he had no idea it happened. This is a huge story. Biden’s FBI spied on Trump’s campaign manager in the 2024 campaign.”
In a separate statement obtained by Fox News Digital, Patel — whose phone records were also reportedly subpoenaed — criticized prior FBI leadership.
“It is outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records — along with those of now White House chief of staff Susie Wiles — using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight,” Patel said.
